This invention relates to range hoods for use in domestic kitchens for exhausting smoke and gases above a cooking surface, and more particularly to a range hood adapted for drawing in air about the periphery of the range hood bottom.
The removal of grease and smoke filled air from above a cooking surface is important in order to improve the quality of the air being breathed in by the occupants of the cooking environment. The exhausting of these unwanted gases is accomplished through use of a kitchen range hood. The range hood is positioned above the cooking surface to remove grease, common odors and hazardous gases created during the cooking process. There are a wide variety of range hoods available, but they typically comprise one or two openings formed in the bottom of the range hood and a comparable number of devices (motor and fan) for drawing the unwanted gases through the opening(s).
An example of the single opening design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,331. The ""331 patent teaches a motor housing having top and bottom surfaces, a curved outer wall and an extended end portion. There is an air inlet opening in the bottom surface and an air outlet in the top surface in the area of the extended end portion. An electric motor is mounted to the top of the housing and a centrifugal fan attached to it. The motor and fan are positioned directly above the air inlet and when in operation act to draw gases into the motor housing through the air inlet.
In the double opening design, the motor housing has top, bottom and perimeter side surfaces defining an enclosure having two substantially mirror chambers, each with an air inlet at the bottom and an air outlet at the top. A motor and fan is positioned in each chamber directly above the air inlet. The fans suck air from the cooking area below and force it through the motor housing chambers to the air outlet where it is directed by ventilation piping to another location, typically the building exterior.
The difficulty with both the single and the double opening designs is that not all of the gases rising from the cooking surface will be drawn through the opening(s). Some of the gases rising from the cooking surface flow around the sides or front of the range hood and remain present in the cooking environment.
Accordingly, it is an object of an embodiment of the invention to provide a range hood adapted for drawing in air about the periphery of the range hood bottom.
It is a further object of an embodiment of the invention to provide a range hood adapted for drawing in air about the periphery of the range hood bottom that is self-cleaning.
Not all aspects of the invention necessarily address such objects. Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description that follows.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a range hood for exhausting gases comprising an outer hood body and a motor housing having top, bottom and perimeter surfaces defining an enclosure and having an air outlet and at least one air inlet. The motor housing is mounted within the hood body; and a motor and fan are mounted within the motor housing. The air inlet is located in the perimeter surface of the motor housing.
The range hood has a hood body comprising top, front, rear and side surfaces. A framing panel is connected to the hood body, a portion of the panel being in abutment with the motor housing. The framing panel has a substantially planar portion and a peripheral wall substantially perpendicular thereto. At least one opening is located in the wall.
The opening in the wall is positioned and sized to align with the air inlet in the motor housing. Where there are multiple air inlets, adjacent air inlets are separated by an intermediate member.
In another aspect, the range hood described above further comprises a lower panel. The lower panel is connected to the framing panel and to the hood body. In another aspect, the range hood described above further comprises cleaning fluid delivery means. The cleaning fluid delivery means preferably comprises a spray nozzle and a conduit connected to the spray nozzle. The spray nozzle may be mounted in the motor housing or seated on a support stand mounted within the motor housing.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention there is provided a range hood for exhausting gases comprising an outer hood body and a motor housing having top, bottom and perimeter surfaces defining an enclosure and having an air outlet and at least one air inlet. The motor housing is mounted within the hood body; and a motor and fan are mounted within the motor housing. The air inlet is located in the perimeter surface of the motor housing. An additional air intake is located in the bottom of the motor housing.
The foregoing was intended as a broad summary only and of only some of the aspects of the invention. It was not intended to define the limits or requirements of the invention. Other aspects of the invention will be appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and to the claims.